Credit: The Associated Press

Spain's Rafael Nadal acknowledges applause as he leaves the court after being defeated by Spain's David Ferrer in their semifinal match, at the Paris Masters tennis, in the Paris Bercy stadium, Saturday Nov. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

LONDON — Despite all his success this year, Rafael Nadal still hasn't sewn up the year-end No. 1 ranking. At this stage of his career, though, that hardly matters.

After coming back from a career-threatening knee injury to win 10 titles this year, including two Grand Slams, Nadal has clearly exceeded expectations. He overtook Novak Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking last month, although the Serb can reclaim it this week at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals.